Dell Latitude E6400: At First Glance
The Dell Latitude E6400, which starts at $129.99*, is a sturdy and durable laptop with speedy performance and plenty of exceptional features. Furthermore, this is one stylish laptop you’ll want to be seen with, thanks to its sleek design.
Additionally, the Dell Latitude E6400 is a strong performer and also a perfect replacement for the Dell Latitude D630 – its predecessor. It appears to be a laptop designed to take on any task thrown at it.
Although I couldn’t identify any significant flaws with the E6400, there are few “little problems” that may cause some customers to look elsewhere. Continue reading to find out!
Dell Latitude E6400: Design, Dimension & Weight
The lid of the Dell Latitude E640 is made of brushed metal black. You can also get the laptop’s lid in Regal Red and Regatta Blue.
Additionally, the Latitude E6400 also has a magnesium-alloy body. The laptop’s magnesium body, as well as its big silver hinges, give it a solid feel.
Almost every component of the E6400 appears and feels solid, but the hinges deserve special mention. They are sturdy and stiff, so bumpy trips shouldn’t be an issue.
Moreover, the laptop’s keyboard maintains this impression of quality. The basic layout of the keyboard is just amazing.
On the bottom right, there’s a big and handy Shift key, and below it are the cursor keys. On the upper right, the Insert, Delete, Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys are all arranged in a grid.
Everything on this keyboard is precisely where you’d expect and desire it to be. However, the absence of the ‘Menu’ key, which is normally on the bottom row of the keyboard, is the lone exception.
Also, the keyboard is really comfortable to use. The keys are tactile, beautifully sized, robust, responsive, and even a tiny bit of flex requires a lot of force.
Moving on, the Latitude E6400 features a TrackPoint and a touchpad, just like other Latitude laptops. Also, just like the keyboard, both the TrackPoint and touchpad are excellent.
The TrackPoint, in particular, has received an upgrade thanks to a slightly concave design compared to prior models’ convex TrackPoint. Additionally, this TrackPoint is located exactly in the center of the keyboard.
Moreover, this TrackPoint is a perfect alternative to the laptop’s small touchpad. The TrackPoint features three dedicated click buttons (left, right, middle-click buttons) located below the spacebar key.
As mentioned earlier, the touchpad on the Latitude E6400 is somewhat small. It is, nonetheless, smooth and well-proportioned, with vertical and horizontal scroll areas.
The dedicated click buttons (left and right-click buttons) for the touchpad are situated beneath the touchpad.
Dell’s Latitude E6400 comes with a 14-inch display screen. The Dell Latitude E6400, like the Dell Precision M2400, offers two distinct screen resolutions to choose from.
You either get the laptop with a WXGA (1280 x 800), or WXGA+ (1440 x 900) screen resolution. This review is based on a 14-inch display with WXGA+ (1440 x 900) screen resolution.
The maximum brightness of this display screen is 297 cd/m2. The screen is also extremely sharp, bright, and offers good horizontal viewing angles.
As a result, it is quite pleasant to use for a long period of time. It’s also worth noting that this display has an anti-glare coating, which means that reflections aren’t an issue.
In addition to its stunning appearance, the amount of ports on the Latitude E6400 is outstanding. A Kensington lock, VGA-out, two USB 2.0 ports, and a SmartCard port are all located on the laptop’s left side.
On the right side, you’ll find an ExpressCard, Firewire, DVD Drive, headphone and microphone jacks, and two more USB 2.0 ports. The backside of the laptop houses an Ethernet port, display port, and power socket.
Additionally, Dell also included an SD card reader on the front side of this laptop. Unfortunately, the laptop doesn’t feature Thunderbolt or HDMI port.
The smooth, noise-free cooling fan and stereo speakers of the Latitude E6400 are situated on the left side of the laptop. These built-in loudspeakers are similar to those in the Precision M2400 – at least what they sound like.
The speakers are really loud and generate clear audio. However, when I increased the speakers’ volume to its maximum level, I noticed little distortion.
Above the keyboard, there are also dedicated buttons for raising, reducing, and muting the laptop’s speakers’ volume.
The 2.0 MP Webcam on the Latitude E6400 is integrated into the laptop’s top screen bezel. However, the Webcam is an optional feature.
This webcam has Advanced Light Sensitivity, which makes it suitable for video calls and taking pictures.
Dell sells the Latitude E6400 with an impressive 3-year warranty. As a result, if you have a hardware problem during the warranty period, Dell will either repair or replace your laptop.
Measuring 352 x 241 x 26.6 mm and weighing 2540.1 g, the Latitude E6400 is lighter than its predecessor (Dell Latitude D630). The Dell Latitude D630 weighs 2630.84 g and measures 337 x 238 x 32 mm.
However, the Latitude E6400 is slightly heavier than Lenovo’s ThinkPad SL400. The ThinkPad SL400 weighs 2494 grams and measures 335.28 x 246 x 38 mm.
In conclusion, the Latitude E6400’s design and build quality are really impressive for a low-cost laptop. Therefore, I will rate the laptop a nine out of ten in this design review.
Dell Latitude E6400: Processor (CPU) Performance
The Dell Latitude E6400 comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo T9900 processor with 2-core and a cache of 6 MB. In addition, this processer has a base frequency of 3.06 GHz but doesn’t feature a maximum frequency.
The Intel Core 2 Duo T9900 is the successor to the Core 2 Extreme X9100 – also has a base frequency of 3.06 GHz. Furthermore, the Intel Core 2 Duo T9900 can handle basically any processing workload thanks to its high base frequency.
Additionally, the Intel Core 2 Duo T9900 is also one of the fastest laptop processors for single-threaded applications. A single-threaded application, such as Microsoft Word, is one that does only one task at a time.
To further determine the processing power of the Latitude E6400, I conducted a Cinebench R15 test. Cinebench R15 is a real-world benchmarking tool that evaluates a computer’s processing performance.
According to the Cinebench R15 test results, the Latitude E6400 received a score of 112 points. Unfortunately, the Latitude E6400 score wasn’t enough to beat the Lenovo ThinkPad SL400 score of 143 points.
On the bright side, the Latitude E6400 achieved a better score than its predecessor. Its predecessor, the Latitude D630 scored 101 points according to the Cinbench R15 test.
Finally, in this processor review, I will rate the Latitude E6400 an eight for its decent processing power.
Dell Latitude E6400: Memory (RAM) Performance
In terms of memory, the Dell Latitude E6400 ships with two DDR2 RAM slots. This RAM works at a speed of 800 MHz and supports a maximum capacity of 8 GB (4 GB on each slot).
Personally, based on my experience reviewing laptop memory, 8 GB maximum RAM capacity is usually insufficient for the majority of users. Even most affordable laptops, such as the Acer Aspire E 15, have a maximum RAM capacity of 16 GB.
The Latitude E6400 laptop I reviewed had 4 GB of RAM installed in a single slot. Despite its modest RAM capacity, the laptop handled multitasking adequately.
To evaluate the laptop’s multitasking capabilities, I had about ten Chrome tabs opened while playing Candy Crush. Even with these applications running at the same time, the laptop maintained a consistent performance.
Moreover, I also ran a PCMark 10 benchmark test on the Dell Latitude E6400 to see how well its memory can perform. PCMark 10 is a benchmark test that evaluates a laptop’s fundamentals, productivity, and digital media production capabilities.
Moreover, PCMark 10 assesses things like app startup, video conferencing, and web surfing. Based on the PCMark 10 test results, the Latitude E6400 scored 3025 points.
This score is almost 500 points higher than the category average. However, it is not enough to outperform the Lenovo ThinkPad SL400.
According to the PCMark 10 test, the Lenovo ThinkPad SL400 scored 3431 points.
Finally, in this memory review, I believe the Dell Latitude E6400 doesn’t deserve a rating of more than seven out of ten.
Dell Latitude E6400: Storage Options & Performance
The Latitude E6400 might have disappointed you in terms of memory, but it doesn’t disappoint in terms of storage. This laptop offers multiple storage options.
You can either get the laptop with a 7200 RPM HDD, 5400 RPM HDD, or SSD. Also, the laptop offers a 5-in-1 card reader for an extra storage option.
The 7200 RPM HDD supports a maximum storage capacity of 250 GB. On the other hand, the 5400 RPM HDD supports a maximum storage capacity of 120 GB.
Furthermore, the SSD storage option supports a maximum capacity of 128 GB. The laptop I reviewed came with a 120 GB 5400 RPM HDD.
I conducted a file transfer test to determine the transfer speed of this HDD storage. On the file transfer test, the laptop transferred 5 GB of multimedia files in 3 minutes at a transfer rate of 25.7 Mbps.
When compared to its predecessor, the Latitude E6400 has a better transfer rate. On the file transfer test, its predecessor, the Latitude D630 transferred 5 GB of multimedia files at a transfer rate of 20.3 Mbps.
In conclusion, the Dell Latitude E6400 offers impressive multiple storage options and also a speedy HDD storage option. As a result, in this storage review, I believe the laptop deserves a rating of nine out of ten.
Dell Latitude E6400: Graphics Card Performance
Just like its storage, the Dell Latitude E6440 also offers multiple graphics card options. You can either buy the laptop with an Intel GMA 4500M HD or NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M.
The NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M graphics has a base GPU frequency of 580 MHz and a boost GPU frequency of 1450 MHz. On the other hand, the Intel GMA 4500M HD only features a base GPU frequency of 533 MHz.
Furthermore, NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M features a 256 MB DDR2 dedicated VRAM, making it suitable for gaming. Unfortunately, the Intel GMA 4500M is embedded in the laptop’s CPU and doesn’t have a dedicated VRAM.
Lack of dedicated VRAM entails that the graphics card will share the system memory with the processor. As a result, the Intel GMA 4500M won’t be capable of running graphic-intensive applications or gaming.
This review is based on the Intel GMA 4500M HD. I conducted a gaming test to determine how well this graphics card can perform.
As I mentioned earlier, this graphics card lacks dedicated VRAM so don’t expect it to shine during the gaming test. On the gaming test, while playing F.E.A.R, the Latitude E6400 delivered a predictably low frame rate of 20 frames per second (fps).
On the bright side, the Latitude E6400 performed slightly better while playing World of Warcraft. While playing World of Warcraft, the Latitude E6400 produced a frame rate of 32 fps.
I also conducted a 3DMark 03 test to further determine the Latitude E6400’s Intel GMA 4500M HD performance. According to the 3DMark 03 test, the Latitude E6400 scored 2630 points.
Unfortunately, this scored wasn’t enough to beat its predecessor (Latitude D630). According to the same 3DMark 03 test, the Latitude D630 scored 3,256 points – it uses an NVIDIA Quadro NVS 135M graphics card with 128MB of dedicated VRAM.
However, when compared to the HP Compaq 6720s, the Latitude E6400 performed slightly better. On the 3DMark 03 test, the HP Compaq 6720s which uses an Intel GMAX 3100 graphics card scored 2543 points.
Finally, I am rating the Latitude E6400 a seven out of ten. This rating is based on the Intel GMA 4500M HD graphics performance.
Dell Latitude E6400: Battery life & Performance
For battery, the Dell Latitude E6400 offers three battery options. You either get a 4-cell, 6-cell, or 9-cell Lithium-Ion battery.
My review laptop came with a 9-cell Lithium-Ion battery. According to Dell, this laptop’s battery should last about 5 hours.
I conducted a battery test to verify Dell’s claims about the Latitude E6400’s 9-cell Lithium-Ion battery, and guess what? The laptop fell short of Dell’s claim.
According to the battery test which involves continuously surfing the internet via WIFI, the Latitude E6400 only lasted 4 hours and 25 minutes. That is about 35 minutes less than Dell’s actual claim.
However, when compared to its predecessor (Latitude D630), the Latitude E6400 has a better battery runtime. According to the same battery test, the Latitude D630 lasted only 3 hours and 22 minutes.
Finally, in this section, I will rate the Latitude E6400 a seven for its average battery performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it isn’t. You will, however, be able to play older and simpler games without too many problems. However, at the end of the day, this laptop is designed for work, not fun.
I believe that one of the key reasons Dell is less expensive compared to most other brands is that they do not deal with third-party distributors. Instead, they sell directly to their customers, allowing them to offer a lower price to the consumer.
Dell is a good option if you want an affordable and yet reliable laptop. Their laptops are normally less expensive, yet they are still of high quality. HP laptops, on the other hand, offer a good balance of power and pricing. They have a stunning design, high-quality materials, and powerful hardware.
Dell’s professional, specialized, and high-quality laptops/computers are made in the United States. Dell has also shifted its production concentration from China to India for the Asian market.
As of the time this article was written (August 2021), the Latitude E6400 had a starting price of $129.99.
Conclusion
Finally, the Dell Latitude E6400 offers excellent performance, which is very impressive given its low price. Thanks to its durable build quality, this laptop also looks and feels solid.
However, the laptop does have a few flaws, such as limited battery life and a small touchpad. Also, the laptop’s maximum memory capacity of 8 GB is extremely low for a business laptop.
Lastly, if you don’t mind the Latitude E6400’s few flaws, this laptop is definitely a great deal.
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